While at last Wednesday's breakfast forum to launch "The Business of Water Innovation"—a collaboration of RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) and National Geographic—the Sunday Express spoke with Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of the late world famous French explorer and filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

Cousteau, the 35-year-old environmentalist and a third generation Cousteau, is forging her own path when it comes to exploration and the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of water resources for world communities.

"The world is a very different place today than when they (grandfather Jacques and dad Philippe) were exploring and we have new challenges, new technologies, new ways to communicate to engage. I think we can't stop at awareness we have to inspire people to take action because we're all part of the problem and so being informed and making wise decisions for ourselves our lives and communities is required to take our water back," she said .

She said the plight of harnessing the world's most precious resource was not a matter of sacrifice but of investment.

"It's not about making sacrifices, it's about investing in the future. We make sacrifices for all sorts of things. We sacrifice so our children can have a better life, we sacrifice that we can have a promotion, we put money and sacrifice things so we can go on vacation, we make sacrifices for all sorts of things every day but simple things like recycling, using less water, whatever is appropriate as a community is not a sacrifice, it is an investment because in every decision that we make we are shaping the future for the world we will live in ourselves and that is an important decision."

Cousteau, who first went on expedition with her father when she was four months old, and who learned to scuba dive with her grandfather when she was seven, grew up travelling the globe, and developed a passion for adventure while learning firsthand the value of conserving the natural world.

It is a legacy that is not lost on the California-born explorer who grew up in France and the United States.

"My grandfather, he was the first to really explore the oceans and share the oceans with people through his films.

"He invented scuba, he invented underwater cameras, underwater flashes; he really invented the tools of exploration for going deeper and seeing more."

She continued: "Oceans cover 70 per cent of our planet and people generally, up until then, did not have any idea what there was and so he opened their eyes to that.

"But he also helped us understand what we have to lose and I think my grandfather's generation was one of exploration and going places.

"For the first time, as part of the third generation I think my responsibility in continuing this legacy is to help people understand that we need to explore new solutions before those places are lost and that we are all part of that exploration, and that is actually a very exciting and inspiring exploration to go on for all of us, for how we preserve the treasures that we have because our water is the treasures of our communities."

Cousteau, the National Geographic Emerging Explorer for the Class of 2008 who uses her Blue Legacy organisation to tell the story of the importance of water as a world resource, says the treasure is being depleted, especially by developed countries like the USA and Canada, and countries must act to alter this course.

Cousteau has a Bachelor of Science degree in political science (International Relations) from Georgetown University and has also published articles and/or columns in the Woodrow Wilson Centre journal, Washington Life magazine, VSD (France), and Elle magazine (Spain) among others.

She sits on the Board of Directors of EarthEcho International and the Global Water Challenge, Science Advisory Board for George Mason University and the steering committee of the Pew-sponsored Shark Alliance.

Her Blue Legacy organisation explores crucial water issues across the globe. Blue Legacy's mission takes form in three ventures; Expedition: Blue Planet, Blue Action Dialogues and her book, This Blue Planet.

Cousteau said her greatest joy from exploration came from meeting new people, experiencing different cultures and understanding their challenges.

"It's all quite exciting and it's what makes my work exciting for me because water touches every aspect of our lives, it touches everything from our physical well being to our spiritual experiences so spending time in different places with new people and experiencing new things is incredibly exciting to me," she said.